Game of Shadows
by Maestro Dissonance
Summary: A Schnee Dust Company mine accident involving the death of hundreds draws Weiss into the midst of a life-threatening bargain between the White Fang and her father's company, and Blake into her old life once again as a member of the White Fang.
1. Chapter 1: Into the Quarry

**Chapter 1: Into the Quarry**

Weiss

Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, was in the middle of a training simulation with her partner Ruby Rose, when Yang Xiao Long interrupted.

"You guys, come quickly. You need to check this out. It's all over the news right now," she cried. Judging from her dishevelled hair, distressed tone and out of breath pants, Weiss knew that something serious must have happened because Yang is not someone whose hair falls out of place all that often.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked while collapsing Crescent Rose and turning to face her sister.

Weiss followed suit, sheathing Myrtenaster.

"I think this is something you have to see for yourself."

More anxious than curious, Weiss and her partner followed Yang out to the main student lounge where a sizable crowd had already gathered. They spotted Blake Belladonna, the last member of Team RWBY, amidst the mass of bodies closest to the holographic screen on the wall, and rushed over to join her. Blake's eyes remain fixated to the screen, her only acknowledgement that her teammates had joined her being a subtle twitch of the black bow on top of her head. Since that incident with Roman Torchwick and the cargos, Weiss had already come to terms with the fact that Blake is a faunus and used to be a member of the White Fang, but she still found reminders of Blake's history difficult to fully reconcile because of the all too painful memories from her past.

Weiss followed Blake's eyes to the screen where scenes of collapsed rocks and injured people, no, faunus, flashed through. The air was thick with clouds of black dust. Lisa Lavender's voice could be heard in the background as the camera swept through the devastation.

"As of now, we have no information on the number of casualties. Early estimates range between 200 to 300 faunus workers who are either injured, trapped, or possibly dead. Their status is unclear, since less than a small handful made it out in time before the second, larger explosion blocked the only entrance to the dust mine. No rescue attempt has been made yet since the Vale News Network first arrived on the scene. So far, the Schnee Dust Company representatives have not released any statements, despite this being the most devastating mining accident in recent history."

Lisa continued, "Founded by Lord Walther Schnee fifty years ago, the Schnee Dust Company is one of the largest producers of dust. It is considered one of the most powerful corporations in Vale. Current CEO, Anton Schnee, is the son of the founder…"

Weiss flinched sharply. Schnee. Dust. Company. Her family's company. Anton, her father. Responsible for the potential death of hundreds. There have been minor accidents in the past, but nothing to this magnitude. What happened? Beside her, Blake stood with clenched fists, body tense and agitated. Weiss thought about reaching out and placing a hand on Blake's shoulder, but decided against it. What could she say anyway?

She could barely make out Lisa's report on the Schnee Dust Company's use of faunus labour over the decades and the new changes in the Faunus Rights Bill. Right now, Weiss was only fixated on the confusion and fear racing through her mind, and Blake.

No one spoke around her. Every single student transfixed and in awe of the events that unfolded before them. News of disasters were rare, and such casualty numbers have been unheard of since the Faunus Rights Revolution, an event that happened before their time anyway.

"Rescue efforts have been minimal. According to Vale city officials, the reason for this is due to the high risk nature of extracting survivors from a mine that could potential explode again and fully collapse at any given moment. Scientists monitoring the situation have reported dangerously high levels of methane and coal dust to back up the claims."

"Oh no," Ruby exclaimed beside her. Her face revealed everything she felt. Ruby always cared about everyone. "Those poor miners."

Weiss could feel the awkward gazes directed towards her as if she's somehow responsible for this entire catastrophe. Her face felt flushed and her pulse quickened. The erratic beating of her heart was deafening to her own ears. From the periphery of her eyes, Weiss noted a few students discreetly whispering to each other, but she could no longer hear anything over the turmoil in her mind.

"Blake! Where are you going?"

Yang's voice drew her out of her reverie. The now empty space that was once occupied by the faunus confirmed Yang's question.

Blake

Blake ignored Yang. She had hoped that her team wouldn't follow her, but that was obviously a pipe dream as she could hear their hurried steps from behind. Of course her team wouldn't let her go off alone again.

She felt a firm hand on her shoulder. Blake's reacted instinctively and whirled around, amber eyes meeting icy blue ones. "What?" She asked, her soft voice, which clearly surprised Weiss, whose stance suggested that she was expecting something harsher. Even Blake was surprised by her own tone.

"Blake," the heiress began, pausing to assess Blake's reaction before proceeding. "We're here for you. Let us know what we can do."

Blake felt her agitation ease up slightly at the knowledge that her friends are with her. It's a comforting thought to know that she could still have a family even after the White Fang. Even if this new family is somewhat dysfunctional and includes not just a former "enemy," but the daughter and successor to one of the White Fang's biggest oppressors. But Weiss was willing to accept her, despite her criminal past. Blake still didn't agree with most of Weiss' views about the White Fang, although the heiress had provided some reasonable arguments. After all, isn't the violent approach to faunus equality the reason that she herself had left in the first place?

She broke Weiss' gaze just as Ruby and Yang caught up. "Thank-you."

"Why are you heading towards the administration building?" Her team leader inquired.

There was no use in concealing the truth from them. They would inevitably find out what she's up to. It was different with Adam. He never pried. And she never shared more than she needed to.

But that was at times, lonely, and even a cat needs to feel sense of belonging.

"I'm going to convince Ozpin to let me take one of the airships to the mine."

"And you're going to do what exactly?" Weiss interjected. "You heard the news report. There is so much methane and coal dust in the air that another explosion is inevitable."

"So you would do nothing," Blake hissed.

"What can we actually do? We go there, try to blow up the rocks blocking the entrance, and you trigger an even bigger explosion. If the search and rescue can't do anything, what do you expect us to do?"

"I should have known." Even before she said it, Blake knew that she was being unfair.

Weiss held back her retaliation and sucked in a deep breath, probably to quench her own anger.

"Oh-kay," Ruby exclaimed before either Blake or Weiss could respond. "Weiss, you're absolutely right about the danger, but I think that if we can do something, we should. We're future huntresses after all! Not to mention that we're the best team at Beacon!"

"Ozpin would never agree to it. There's no way he'd allow us to leave on such a ridiculous mission where our chances of success is zero."

"I'm going with or without permission."

"We're all going," Yang chimed in. "It's obvious you're set on going, so we're coming with you."

Weiss

They ended up taking a private Schnee company airship after the meeting with Ozpin went exactly as she had predicted.

The team rode to the mine in silence, the only sounds audible being the humming of the engine and Lisa Lavender's continuous updates on the Vale News Network.

Weiss took the opportunity to mentally rehearse Ruby's plan in her head. They've all come to rely on Ruby's judgment so much. The moment they land, there would be little time to spare and evaluate tactics, which was her normal approach.

Weiss was to freeze the rocks obstructing the mine shaft entrance so that Blake and Ruby could shatter them with their Crescent Rose and Gambol Shroud. Once a sizable hole was made, it was her responsibility to freeze the rocks that lined the mouth of the cave itself for stability, and maintain a force field beneath the remaining rocks to prevent premature collapse as necessary while the others retrieved any survivors.

IF there are any, Weiss thought bitterly. Her family has been operating dust mines for decades after all. She knows all too well the extent of these types of accidents. This quarry happens to be her father's biggest mine.

Blake

Ruby's plan went without a hitch. Weiss froze the most unstable rocks on top allowing Ruby and herself to smash their way through without requiring any firepower. Blake was relieved to be able to detect the faint gasping of survivors with her acute sense of hearing, since all the coal dust obscured her otherwise equally sharp night vision.

She could hear Weiss coughing by the entrance. Her own lungs burned from the short exposure to the toxic gas and dust. She was incensed. This was the working condition of your average dust miner?

Blake worked her way deeper into the mine with Ruby and Yang trailing behind. She never really thought about what to expect upon finding the survivors, and even in spite of the most graphic mental images she could possibly conceive, nothing could have prepared her for the sight before her.

The coal dust did little to conceal the horror of the limp and lifeless bodies collapsed into awkward heaps. Blake was at a loss for words, but thankfully, her team leader spoke up.

"My name is Ruby Rose and I'm here with my team mates from Beacon Academy. We're getting everyone out of this mine. If you can walk, please proceed towards the entrance by following Yang. She's the one waving her flashlight right now. If there's anyone around you who's injured and unable to walk, or unconscious, please try your best to help them out too if possible. Blake and I are here to assist too."

To Blake's bitter disappointment, less than a dozen bodies moved in response to Ruby's instructions.

"Over here," a hoarse voice whispered.

"And here."

Blake ran towards the voices as she carefully avoided stepping on any bodies. A short second later, she's on the ground and gently picking up a young faunus who couldn't have been any older than maybe thirteen years of age. She held in her rage silently. She needed to focus now, and anger leads to irrational behaviour. A few meters away, Ruby struggled to position a female faunus worker onto her back.

Without another word, both Blake and Ruby proceeded to the entrance. Seconds later, Blake deposited the unconscious boy onto the ground outside the mine where Yang had remained to take care of emerging survivors. Blake could hardly tell them apart, for they all looked the same. The survivors. Haggard and dirtied. Breathing laboured.

She herself inhaled deeply for a few breaths before heading back into the cave. Even the contaminated air outside was still leagues better than the toxic environment within. She didn't know how much longer any of them could keep this up. Their progress was slow. Too slow. But there were just so many unconscious faunus, and each time she returned into the depths with Ruby closely in tow, the shallow sounds of breathing dimmed by a few deadly octaves.

"One… final… trip, Blake," Ruby panted, coughing viciously as the two of them emerged from the mine to join Yang.

Blake didn't respond. A part of her recognized the logic behind Ruby's decision, but she didn't want to consider the alternative yet. As long as there are still survivors, she couldn't abandon them.

A loud rumble sent shockwaves through the ground and nearly threw Blake off balance upon her return to the mine entrance. She glanced at Weiss and saw that the heiress had erected a glyph above her head to prevent the downward descent of loose rocks.

"Hurry," she gasped, voice strained from the sheer concentration and will required to maintain the glyph.

Since the revelation of their respective pasts, Blake had started to notice the white-haired girl more. She was as intrigued about Weiss as she was conflicted about their relationship. She had gotten quite adept at reading the heiress over time. The way her eyes narrowed slightly when she's deep in thought, the shift in her tone when she's concerned but feigning exasperation, and especially the positioning of her body when she's putting on an act for the world. Weiss acts and speaks with the refinement of someone born into a world of expectations, but Blake can see through her façade of perfection. Blake saw Weiss for who she was, with her subtle acts of silent rebellion and eagerness to please.

In combat, Weiss always committed with nothing left to lose, which is quite a stark contrast to her analytical approach to fighting. Blake often worried that Weiss would overstrain herself, but the heiress never remarks on her exhaustion. And right now, with the entire weight of a cave on her shoulders, Weiss looked as if she could pass out at any given moment.

Blake didn't need any more motivation to work faster. She was back out before Ruby even left the mine, and barely caught Ruby's warning upon her return back into the darkness.

Nevertheless, it seems as if Blake's speed and luck had finally met its end, as the moment she scooped up an unconscious cat faunus like herself, the inevitable explosion happened. The cavern wall crumpled inwards. Too fast for Blake to react. The shockwave had stunned her sensitive ears, and sheer exhaustion from overexertion and lack of oxygen had finally taken their toll.

She closed her eyes and waited for the crushing blow, but instead, felt nothing.

Blake looked up. A glyph. Weiss.

Summoning all her remaining strength and willing her sore muscles to move, Blake ran towards the entrance, diving out just in time before the entire mine collapsed.

Weiss

Weiss vaguely felt the rocks shift around her, but she was much too exhausted to do much. Every breath was agonizing. Energy fully depleted, she closed her eyes and allowed the veil of darkness to descend upon her.


	2. Chapter 2: Negotiations

**Chapter 2: Negotiations**

Blake

"Where's Weiss?"

Blake heard Ruby's frantic shouting despite the persistent ringing in her ears. Why isn't Weiss with them? The dust and debris had finally started to settle, and Blake could see her distressed team leader feverishly slashing away at the rocks with Crescent Rose.

"Weiss!" Ruby cried, bringing the entire force of the scythe against the rocks over and over again.

"Ruby, stop!" Yang grabbed her sister. "If she's really beneath those rocks, you'll kill her."

"But if she's trapped, we need to get her out!"

Weiss could not possibly be buried beneath those rocks, could she? Blake was almost certain she saw a blur of white follow her out. Maybe she was hallucinating. She should have listened to Ruby and stopped when her team leader had said so. If she hadn't gone back for the cat faunus, maybe Weiss would be out here with them right now, drained, but alive. Her last passenger had rolled a few feet away from Blake. Blake crawled over to her.

She wasn't breathing anymore.

Blake chuckled bitterly at the irony. Weiss is missing, maybe buried, maybe dead. And all for nothing.

Weiss

Waking up had never felt so excruciating. Creating those glyphs in succession in the lethal environment had drained Weiss of any aura she possessed. Her muscles raged painfully; each motion, even breathing, required tremendous effort.

With great caution, Weiss assessed the condition of her body. She moved her legs, her arms. Sore, but still functional. Breathing was difficult. Laboured. Broken ribs almost a certainty. Surprising, given the fact that the mine did collapse on her.

She was so tired.

Blake

"This is Lisa Lavender reporting for the Vale News Network. In a surprising turn of events, four students from Beacon Academy, including the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, attempted a rescue operation. However, since then, no one has seen the whereabouts of Weiss Schnee" Footages of Team RWBY's actions played in the background. "Twenty-seven were extracted, although one cat faunus who has been identified as Elsa Sphinx did not survive the rescue effort. The official death tally is actually higher than our initial projection at 522 casualties. CEO Anton Schnee released a statement earlier."

A recorded voiceover followed. "The Schnee Dust Company regrets this unfortunate incident. We prescribe to all the mandated safety procedures. Mining is still a dangerous endeavour, but despite this setback, we are still committed to bringing you the finest dust of all."

Blake's eyes narrowed. The repercussions have yet to be felt, but already, it seemed as if the head of the Schnee Dust Company is brushing aside the actual issue at hand. Furthermore, this morning's experience had reminded Blake with amazing clarity, the type of inhumane condition in which faunus worked and risked their lives for every day. Times like this almost rationalize the necessity of groups like the White Fang.

And there's the matter of his daughter.

Weiss. She'd like to dwell on the guilt, but Blake was too numb and enraged to channel her energy into grief.

She, Ruby and Yang were in the Beacon Academy infirmary after unsuccessfully combing through the wreckage and finding no traces of the heiress except for Myrtenaster. Professor Glynda Goodwitch arrived at the quarry not too long after and forcefully dragged them back to Beacon. The three of them were ordered to rest so that they could recover their expended aura and heal their various injuries. The institution was for the most part, empty. Professor Ozpin was away on urgent business, and many of the more experienced teams were summoned to suppress an unprecedented surge in Grimm activity. Glynda was the only instructor still in the building.

How quickly things can fall apart. As if things couldn't progress any worse. She hated the news right now.

"The family of the victims are gathered around the periphery of the mining site where an impromptu organization of mourning is taking place. As you can see from these footages, thousands of faunus have showed up to pay their respects. The bouquets of flowers and symbolic mementos extend into…"

Lisa Lavender's voice sharply cut out.

Blake's ears twitched uncomfortably by the loud static sound that followed.

When the blurred black and white static cleared and was replaced by a grainy footage of a man's concealed face. Blake recognized the striped red patterns around the eye slits of the white mask. The White Fang.

"This is a message to all you humans. Recent events have illustrated that our fight for equality between faunus and humans have fallen on deaf ears. Despite all that we have attempted to achieve in the past few years, today's accident have brought the truth to the surface, that humans still view faunus as inferior and unworthy. We are extremely dissatisfied with the Schnee Dust Company's lack of commitment to provide relief and aid. Even now, their focus is on the product and not the lives that were lost. This is unacceptable. We demand that the Company provide proper compensation for the victims of today's tragedy."

The camera shifted over to… Weiss.

Weiss! Blake sat straight up, clutching her side from the injuries that were still tender. Weiss's jacket and combat skirt were torn in several places and stained with dirtied blood. Her normally immaculate hair draped haphazardly on the ground, concealing most of her face. Multiple lacerations traced about her body like deadly tattoos. Her breathing seemed strained, the rise and fall of her chest, disjointed.

"We have the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company in custody, and we expect our demands to be met, or else the consequences will indeed be dire."

The speaker paused. He produced a metal baton for the camera to capture.

"To illustrate how serious we are, here is a warning."

Suddenly, two men lifted Weiss and slammed her onto a hard metal table. One twisted at her right arm with such force that the heiress' shoulder was instantly dislocated. Blake heard Weiss' mute scream in pain from the assault. The other man pinned her left arm onto the surface and backhanded Weiss, which momentarily stunned her.

Before she could recover, the speaker brought the metal baton down onto Weiss' left hand. For most people, the clanging of the metal overpowered the sickening crunch of bones, but Blake heard it loudly and clearly. Weiss screamed. And so did Blake.

The baton came down repeatedly. Over and over again.

"Twenty-four hours. We expect some sort of compensatory action. Twenty-four hours. Or else we get really serious."

Static.


	3. Chapter 3: Infiltration

**Chapter 3: Infiltration**

Weiss

They left her alone in the damp and dark room once the broadcast was completed. Weiss willed herself to control her breathing. She needed to focus on something else other than the sharp agony of her shoulder. Her left hand sprawled limply by her side, the sensations emitted being every combination of pain possible.

Blake

Blake and her remaining teammates sat in silence for an uncomfortable minute. No one knew what to say, or how to say it.

"How can they do this?" Yang was the first to speak. "Poor Weiss. We've got to get her out of there. I'm so done with this recovery business. I'm fine!"

"Would the White Fang actually release Weiss if their demands are met?" Ruby asked, head tilted and deep in thought. Mind numb to any coherent thought, Blake could only marvel at the maturity her team leader has been displaying since this whole disaster started. Barely a year into her role, and Ruby can already so seamlessly transition into a position of responsibility when the time necessitates it. It's hard to imagine that she's only recently turned sixteen.

"Blake?" Yang laid a hand on Blake's shoulder. Blake knew that Yang wasn't implying anything, yet Blake couldn't help but feel responsible for the circumstance given her previous association with the White Fang.

Blake looked at her partner directly in the eyes as she spoke the truth. "No."

"Then they're really just using this incident as a seemingly justified excuse to provoke more conflict."

"Yes. But it wasn't always like this. The White Fang started out as an activist group with the aims of achieving social justice and equality. Even during the early days, there were always people who believed that pacifist means of protest would lead nowhere. The new leadership enabled that mentality to flourish." Her revelations felt surprisingly relieving; other than Sun Wukong and later, Weiss during one restless night when both Ruby and Yang had fallen asleep, Blake hadn't really divulged that much to anyone else. "You're right. I think they want the humans to retaliate, as that would indeed justify their violence," Blake brainstormed aloud. "And there's the mysterious issue of their cooperation with Roman Torchwick. I just don't understand why they would collaborate with a human like Torchwick. They seem to be trying to amass a large quantity of dust, but I can't think of a reason."

Ruby nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, one thing at a time. We've got several things to consider here. First and foremost, there's the issue of rescuing Weiss." Ruby held up a hand as Blake and Yang shot her incredulous looks. "Let me finish. You said it yourself, Blake, they're not going to release her, even if Mr. Schnee does follow through with their demands. And that's only if he does. I may not know the man at all, but based on the little details here and there that Weiss had disclosed, I can only assume the worse. So Weiss is our number one priority."

"So how do you propose we do this? Capture a member of the White Fang ourselves and torture him for information?" Yang inquired. Blake wasn't sure if there was enough sarcasm in Yang's tone to classify this idea as merely a ridiculous outburst of frustration.

Fortunately, Yang's younger sister ignored the remark. "Of course not. But we do have to be creative and inquire, or attempt to follow one of them back to their headquarters."

Blake spoke up. "Or, I could go undercover."

"No!" Both Ruby and Yang shouted. "No way," Ruby repeated. "They're a group of radicals that you deserted. Who knows what may happen to you too. I can't risk one friend just to save another."

"I'm a faunus. They'll never hurt me. It stands against everything they fight for. Plus, I can take care of myself. I did grow up as a member of the White Fang. They were at one point in my life, my family."

"Then we all do it."

"You know as well as I do that you'd never be accepted. You're not faunus."

"But we can't let you do this alone."

"No, we won't. We'll communicate by scroll. The moment you locate Weiss' whereabouts, you contact us."

"Ruby, it's too dangerous," Yang protested.

"I trust in Blake's ability."

Blake looked at Ruby with a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. Since when did the younger girl mature so quickly?

Ruby held Blake's gaze as she gave her next command in a shaky voice, "Promise me that you'll be safe, and that you'll bring Weiss back home."

Blake squeezed Ruby's hand gently. "I will."

Weiss

The ice cold water hit her with a force of a thousand shards of broken glass, jolting Weiss from her restless slumber. Sleep had not come easy, and it was only from sheer mental and physical fatigue did the heiress finally drift off into unconsciousness. But now, roused so crudely, Weiss struggled to find her bearings. The pain came back without mercy, as did all the torment of the past hours. Days? Weiss wasn't sure.

She released a shaky breath, coughing weakly. She was so cold. Her body shivered in response.

"Come here." Rough hands grabbed at her. Weiss released a cry of pain as her captors roughly secured the wrist of her broken left hand with metal manacles. She was hauled to her feet by the chains around her wrist. The force of that callous movement agitated her lifeless left hand and dislocated right shoulder. She groaned miserably while they secured the shackles to a large hook that was fastened to a pole.

Since where did this pole get here? Weiss thought, her mind disoriented from the agony of all this movement.

She barely registered the voices. Some talking. Something about not fulfilling demands. Something about consequences for arrogance. Were they talking to her?

A sharp crack of a whip, followed by searing agony across her back shook her from her confusion. She cried out. Another slash. And another. Too fast for her to catch her breath. Weiss bit her lower lip and held in her next cry. A Schnee must never show weakness. Father would not approve of weakness.

Blake

Blake watched in horror as the whip descended down Weiss' back with relentless force. Blow after blow. The heiress groaned and grunted, but ceased screaming after the first few slashes.

The faunus around her cheered loudly each time the unforgiving whip opened a new laceration on the white-haired girl's delicate body. Blake held in her rage and resisted the temptation to throw the closest faunus to her into the viewing screen.

Blake looked away in disgust. She couldn't bear to see her friend tortured so. At times like this, her acute hearing was a curse, since she was unable to tune out the vicious cracks as the whip made contact and tore skin, nor could she ignore the tormented groans coming from her friend.

"Ironic sense of justice, isn't it," the speaker hissed. "We were subjugated and whipped like the animals you believe we are. And now, it seems as if the situation is reversed."

Blake has never heard such hatred in someone's voice. Even during her misinformed accusations about the White Fang, Weiss was never this caustic and loathsome.

When the cracks of the whip finally stopped, Blake slowly unclenched her fists. Her knuckles and fingers were white from the force of her own anger. She looked up again and absorbed Weiss' dishevelled form hanging limply. The heiress appeared to be unconscious. The manacles were the only thing holding her upright. Blake hesitantly assessed Weiss' condition. The left side of her face was badly bruised now from a previous assault. The soft skin of her cheek torn from the blunt force of the trauma. Weiss' clothing was ripped where her skin was cut, and her hair was in a disarray. Her back was lined with angry red gashes and blood dripped freely from each wound. She had to get to Weiss soon.

"This could have all been avoided if our demands had been met. One more chance, Mr. Schnee."

Blake knew that she had to find Weiss, and soon.

Weiss

Weiss gingerly drew her left hand into her chest. Her back burned with an intensity she had never experienced. Her mind was a cacophony of pain. Weiss didn't even know what hurt anymore. Everything hurt.

So her father really did abandon her. What surprised her was not that he didn't act, but that she already knew his thoughts.

Her father was always right. If he capitulated and acknowledged their demands, he would have allowed a terrorist group to win. That would set a bad precedent for all future issues. No, he really had no choice.

Weiss chuckled bitterly. Even now, she was still making excuses for her father.


	4. Chapter 4: Last Chance

**Chapter 4: Last Chance**

Ruby

"Why aren't we receiving any signals?" Yang cried as she slammed a fist into the wall with such force that the entire room shook. They just saw the latest broadcast of Weiss' most recent torture.

"I don't know, okay," Ruby shouted. Right now, she really regretted her decision to let Blake infiltrate the White Fang. Why didn't she listen to Yang? Something must have happened, as Blake was supposed to constantly update them whenever she had the opportunity. She may lose two friends now due to her stupidity. "You're right, Yang," she whispered, tears building up in the corners of her eyes. "I should never have let Blake go alone."

Her older sister's stance softened. "Ruby, you made the most logical decision given our options. Blake can totally handle herself. She said that she grew up as a member of the White Fang. I'm sure we haven't heard anything because it's probably not a convenient time for her to contact us now, or perhaps there's some kind of signal jammer. She's smart. She'll figure something out."

Ruby didn't move from her slumped position on Weiss' bed. Weiss. Ruby missed her so much. Her mind kept repeating the gruesome images of the ordeal Weiss had endured. First her left hand, now her whole body. Whipped like an… animal. Unconsciously, she gripped a small handful of Weiss' blanket. What she wouldn't give to have the heiress yell at her for being a dunce, or berate her for some folly. Since her argument with Blake, Weiss seemed more… pensive. Both she and Blake. She felt Yang sit down next to her.

"Look, we can't let our friends down. You know Weiss better than anyone else, sis. She's so tough. She can make it. And Blake's doing her part. We've got to do ours. Tension is escalating."

"What are you thinking of?"

"A visit to the Schnee Dust Company head office, of course."

Blake

Blake kept mostly to herself, making an extra effort to avoid situations that would attract unwanted attention. It wasn't particularly hard, given that a large majority of members were out on missions that range from distributing looted goods to victims to bombing influential sites of gathering. Blake had been allowed to stay at their current "headquarters" to get accustomed to the ways of the White Fang. The White Fang frequently moved "headquarters" to avoid discovery by officials. Luckily, Blake had no issues slipping in without being identified yet. The White Fang had increased its membership drastically since she was last a member. Her recruiter must have joined after her departure.

She wandered around the facility, staying vigilant to any unusual activity and locations of higher than normal security. Unfortunately, nothing that she has seen yet suggested the presence of a high profile captive.

So far, she hasn't bumped into Adam yet, which was probably a good thing. There was no one who she worked more closely with than Adam. They complemented each other's fighting styles and shared a similar past. He was always like an older brother. Nevertheless, the two of them kept their conversations short. Neither of them are too fond of conversations. Perhaps that's why they worked so well together. It felt like a long time since their last mission on the Schnee Dust Company cargo train, even though it had barely been a year since Blake had left without a word.

As Blake neared her original starting point just over an hour ago, her heart sank. There were a few locked rooms, but they were either occupied for members or empty. It's likely that Weiss isn't even here. She was getting desperate. If she doesn't find Weiss, or figure out where she may potentially be, the heiress probably won't have much time left. She contemplated turning on her scroll to update Ruby and Yang, but ultimately decided against it. Blake couldn't betray the White Fang.

Muted shouts caught her attention, and noiselessly, Blake flattened her ear against the nearby door.

"Oh no, we're not close to being done, not at all."

Blake narrowed her eyes. She'd recognize that voice from anywhere. Torchwick.

Another voice. "It's getting much too dangerous. The police are much more vigilant now."

"So what? They're nothing but a bunch of dumb cops. Besides, we have an agreement. We still have a chain of dust shops to hit, as well as that incoming shipment to Vale. The mine explosion would make supply quite limited for the next while."

"And that brings me to my other point. The accident changes things. We need to invest our attention to dealing with the aftermath. We must act now to show the humans we mean business."

"No, this is where you're wrong. The chaos is exactly what we need. Everyone's attention is so focused on the aftermath, the strikes and confrontations, that they won't really realize what we're doing until it's too late."

Blake wanted nothing more than to tear into that room and show Torchwick what she thought of him, but she couldn't give herself away for Weiss' sake. She exhaled softly and continued to eavesdrop.

Weiss

She heard them this time before they came in.

"It looks like the Schnee Dust Company doesn't need a successor after all."

That man again. The one who seemed to actually derive pleasure from tormenting her. It was always the same three men.

Two always stayed quiet. A bull faunus with spiky red hair, and some type of reptilian faunus. They didn't need to say anything. Their hatred for her is evident in the vindictiveness of their rough handling of her.

The one who speaks though. The fox faunus. At first, Weiss ignored him, but it was getting progressively difficult to not be psychologically affected by his taunts. Since the morning of the rescue three days ago, Weiss hasn't eaten anything. The room in which she is currently held captive had a consistent draft. Coupled with the dampness and darkness, Weiss' worst nightmares, nightmares long suppressed, have resurfaced with the vengeance of scorned ex-lover.

"We're taking you to your execution," the fox faunus said with a tone of sadistic pleasure. "But we've got some time before then."

What did he mean? What did the fox say? Execution?

A hard boot slammed into her abdomen, knocking the breath out of her. The others joined him. Kicking her, bruising her, snapping her ribs. One of them stomped down into her right knee. Weiss heard a strange hollow crack. By this time, there wasn't a type of pain that she hadn't experienced yet. Maybe the execution wouldn't be such a bad thing now.

Although Weiss' luck ran out the moment the cave collapsed on her. None of the men eased up until she was uncontrollably coughing out blood and crying from agony. Only then did they finally stop.

Yang

"How did you manage to allude my security?" The CEO of the Schnee Dust Company demanded.

"You call that security?" Yang blurted, although she was halted by a very deliberate jab in the side by Ruby.

"Well, we are Huntresses in training, sir, so outmaneuvering hired guards is relatively simple when you grow accustomed to fighting the creatures of Grimm on a weekly basis.

"And this is all very fascinating, but as you can see, I do have a lot of work. Now please leave."

Yang had to bite back a caustic retort if she wanted Schnee to actually listen to them.

"Mr. Schnee, trust me, we understand how busy you are. We saw all the strikes and protests on the streets. We've seen the news coverage about the mass mourning. We've witnessed the regression back to the state of open discrimination towards faunus. And why? Because you refused to compensate for a devastating loss caused by the explosion of one of your dust mines," Yang said.

Anton Schnee chuckled in a bemused manner that was both condescending and scornful. "You are so naïve, girl. Do you realize what would happen if I met their 'demands?' Once they realize that they can achieve their means through threats and destruction, what is to stop them from always and continuously employing these terrorist tactics?"

"But it's your own daughter!" Ruby cried, stunned by the callousness of Anton's remark.

"Yes. But that should make no difference. We cannot achieve greatness without some sacrifices. And unfortunate as it is, to ensure the viability of not just the Schnee Dust Company, but of humanity's superiority, I have to surrender what is less important."

"Unbelievable," Yang spat vehemently. "Let's not even discuss how deluded you are about the whole 'superiority of man' thing because a recent legislature changed all that. I honestly can't believe that you're not even the slightest bit affected by the fact that these so called 'terrorists' have your daughter in captivity and are currently torturing her."

"Do you not think that I realize that?" Anton shouted, slamming both hands on his desk in anger. His voice was steely. "Do you think that I'm not aware of the plight my daughter is in? Of course I am. She is my daughter. I know she is hurting, and I would want nothing more than to get her back, but I'm also a businessman, and in business, we need to consider the bigger picture, which sometimes means cutting our loses."

"So that's it then. You give them the opportunity to torture her for a few more days, then maybe execute her."

"If she is truly a Schnee, then she will understand. And besides, she is much too valuable to them to execute."

Yang shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know what to say anymore." She was incredulous. If Ruby were in Weiss' situation, she would probably burn through entire forests until she found Ruby. And then she'd make all her captors pay.

"Perfect. That is exactly what I wanted to hear. Now that you have said everything you needed to say, please leave so that I can attend to my business."

It took all the self-control in the world for Yang to not unleash all her fury on the callous bastard Weiss called her father.

Blake

After Torchwick stomped out of the meeting room, Blake had kept her face down as he passed her in the off chance that he would recall their encounter from not too long ago. That was yesterday though, and she hasn't seen him all day.

There was an unprecedented buzz of activity shortly after noon. Blake braced herself for yet another cruel display of torture. Just like clockwork, the crowd gathered around the viewing screen, although it was turned off today. Blake despised the shallowness of such conditioning tactics. Even back when she was a member, any display of dominance over humans was celebrated and made into a spectacle. Executions. Tortures. It angered her that their retaliation and acts of revenge were no different than the humans' treatment of faunus. It seemed ridiculous. Childish even. This everlasting arc of violence and bloodshed. Adam always attended. She would always go off to read her novels whenever the crowd gathered.

Approaching the mass of bodies, she heard whispers of execution.

And then it hit her. The stage set up. The deadline of three days. It expires today. She was about to witness Weiss' execution.


End file.
